Best things to do in St. Maarten in 2025

Orient Bay is another charming coastal community of the French side that is famous for its beach where clothing is optional. The bay is quite popular with tourists, offering a wide range of beach activities and water sports.

Long Bay is not only famous for its idyllic setting, but also for the Belmond Hotel - La Samanna - and the array of luxury villas on the waterfront. The owner of the most expensive home here happens to be Donald Trump.

Located near Maho, Mullet Bay beach features a large strip of white sand, filled with palm trees and seagrapes. One of the best beaches on St. Maarten for swimming because of the excellent conditions of the crystalline waters. Mullet Bay is popular with tourists and locals alike. 

Grand Case Beach, in French called Plage de Grand Case, is a very pretty, one mile long, white sandy beach with calm waters and dozens of great restaurants and beach bars. The beach is awesome for swimming and has nice snorkeling at the nearby Créole Rock.

Bay Rouge, also spelled Baie Rouge, is one of the most fabulous, intimate and quiet beaches in the Low Lands. A perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon on this beautiful beach of French St. Martin. You may discover the Devil's Hole either by swimming or a short hike.

Friar´s Bay, also called Anse des Pères, North of the French capital Marigot, is a pretty, small, family oriented beach. The bay is well protected from the swells, and attracts also a few boats. Its calm waters makes Friar´s Bay an excellent choice for families.

Great Bay beach is paralleling the main shopping street in the Dutch capital of Philipsburg. It has excellent crystal clear water and white sand and you can enjoy the many beach bars and live music throughout the day. It is conveniently located close to the cruise ship terminal.

Little Bay Beach lies around the bend of Great Bay, to the south. It is yet another picture perfect beach with fine, white, powdery sand. This intimate little beach has the advantage of its close proximity to the capital of Philipsburg. It's one of the best snorkeling spots on St. Maarten.

Guana Bay is a remote beach in the Dutch side of the island. It is exposed to the Atlantic Ocean which makes the surfs stronger. It is ideal for body boarding or srufing but not for swimming. It is a popular spot for green and leatherback turtles to lay their eggs.

Located just south of the Dutch/French border, Dawn Beach is famous for two things: the amazing sunrises that earned the shoreline its name and the clear water that's perfect for snorkeling. Dawn Beach's Atlantic Ocean waves can sometimes be rough.

Simpson Bay beach by the Princess Juliana airport (SXM) is a long curve of beautiful white sand beach. The wide and flat beach runs from the Royal Palm Beach Club past The Horny Toad Guesthouse and Mary's Boon Beach Plantation to Beacon Hill along the back of the airport.

Le Galion Beach, also called Coconut Grove, and nicknamed Baby Beach, is the next bay Southeast of buzzling Orient Bay. This laid back beach is surrounded by a coral reef that serves as a protection, providing calm and shallow waters. A bit further out is an excellent surfing spot.

The beach is centrally located between Simpson Bay and Pelican Key, in the Dtuch side of St. Maarten. The beach offers water sport rentals, diving tours and also great sunset views and beach bars where you can watch it while sipping on a sundowner. 

This uninhabited island 4 kms off the northern coast of Saint Martin is home to many turtles. The only way to access Tintamarre island is by an organized day trip or chartering your own speedboat or catamaran. Enjoy a hike around the island and go swimming with turtles.

Just a short swim away from Little Bay you can reach on of the best snorkeling spots on St. Maarten with an underwater trail, a sunken submarine and helicopter, as well as a floating bar to buy snacks and drinks. The underwater Sea Trek experience also starts from here.

You can enjoy a 45-minute guided, eco-educational snorkel adventure with an informative presentation at Sint Maarten's brand new snorkel park just a few minutes walk away from the cruise ship terminal. The park is open 7 days a week. More info

Old Street and the Courthouse take you back in time in Philipsburg. Stroll around the colorful duty free shops of Front Street for great shopping and exquisite restaurants. For a taste of colonial architecture, visit the Courthouse, one of the most famous monuments on the Dutch side.

The highest point of the island offers a sweeping vista to St. Martin and the surrounding islands as well. The summit can be accessed on foot or by car. It’s also the starting point of several trails where you can explore the flora and the fauna of the island.

Simpson Bay Lagoon, the largest lagoon in the Caribbean, gives home to some of the most famous mega yachts such as the Limitless, Victoria’s Secret’s yacht, the high tech yacht of the Jobs family. The Eclipse, which used to be the most expensive yacht in the world, is too large to enter the lagoon. It must anchor on the ocean.

Located near the Dutch capital of the island, Fort Amsterdam is a remain of the Dutch fortification. Today it can be found within the Divi Little Bay Resort and can be visited with permission.

Take incredible photos and enjoy amazing panoramic views of Dutch St. Maarten from the top of Harold Jack Hill lookout point between Cole Bay and Philipsburg. There is a parking lot to pull over and enjoy the sunrise or sunset. You can spot Saba and St. Eustatius in the distance.

Sentry Hill is one of the highest point of Dutch St. Maarten with an elevation of 1191 ft (341 meters). There are two ways to get to the top. Either hike from the main road or the recently built sky lift from Emilio Wilson Estate. Travelers will be rewarded with amazing views of Simpson Bay, Cole Bay and Philipsburg.

Philipsburg, the capital of Dutch St. Maarten is a bustling city by day with hundreds of duty free stores, restaurants and casinos. The town is bordered by a long bustling boardwalk that stretches for almost a mile long along the beautiful sandy beach of Great Bay.

The old courthouse in Front street was built in 1793 and it was originally the private home of John Philips, a Scottish captain of the Dutch navy. Since then, it has served as a jail, fire station and post office before becoming what it is today.

Loterie Farm is a tropical eco-oases for all nature lovers. The highlight of the park is a treetop adventure tour with ziplining and an exquisite restaurant with international and French cuisine. Chill out in their amazing lounges, sipping on some cocktails after a stroll in the tropical forest.

Tijon is a boutique perfumery on the French side of the island that specializes in fine, handcrafted fragrances. Their signatures scents combine French sophistication with tropical freshness. Tijon offers workshops where you can create your own scent with the guidance of expert perfumologists. More info

Seaside Nature Park in St. Maarten is located in Cay Bay as you drive past the power plant. It is home to the Lucky Stables ranch where you can try horseback riding or even take lessons.There is a little farm with farm animals and a bar to get some ice cold drinks before or after the horseback riding tour.

Emilio Wilson Park is located in Saunders on the grounds of what was once a sugar plantation that used slaves. In 1954, Emilio Wilson, the grandson of a former slave, bought the property and turned it into a public park in memory of the slaves who made St. Martin what it is today. Today, the property is controversial, but it remains open for recreational use.

Rockland Estate is an eco–adventure park that preserves the native eco-system while ensuring the sustainability of the estate’s physical and intangible attributes. You can take a sky lift up to Sentry Hill for picturesque panoramic views and then fly, ride and slide down to the bottom by zipline, schooner or the famous flying Dutchman!

This quaint little shop is located in Philipsburg very close to the cruise-ship port with a parking area. The store is an easy find for tourists from the ships or staying on the island. There are numerous varieties of regular and flavored cheeses available as well as a wide selection of alcoholic drinks. There are always plenty of samples and great stories about cheese history.

Grand Case is a small town on the French side of the island of Saint Martin. Grand Case has a long sandy beach. It is well known for its many restaurants and beach bars. It's famous local eatery, the Lolo's is well worth a visit. The town is home to the Mardi Gras celebrations every Tuesday during carneval season.

On the island's eastern coast is the location of a second lagoon: Oyster Pond. Though much smaller than Simpson Bay Lagoon, Oyster Pond is at the center of one of the island's most desirable neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the area has been stricken by Hurrican Irma, and not much has been rebuild.

Simpson Bay is home to the largest lagoon in the Caribbean. It is also the nightlife hot spot with tons of bars and restaurants along the main road. Its over a mile long beach is a perfect place to spend the day and relax with your friends and family.

St. Maarten offers horseback riding tours during the day and at sunset. It is a truly serene experience best enjoyed with your loved ones. At the end of the ride you will enter the sea on your horse for a unforgettable experience. The horseback riding excursions depart from the Seaside Nature Park that also has a petting zoo.

The Caribbean is famous for its sunsets when the setting sun paints the sky with brilliant hues of red, orange and purple as it lowers behind the horizon. Experiencing this during a dinner catamaran cruise or a horseback riding tour with your partner is a once in a lifetime experiene.

See the best of St. Maarten in a guided sightseeing tour. Follow your knowledgeable local guide who will tell you stories about the island, explain its history and show you its hidden secrets. If you have limited time on St. Maarten it is always best to do a guided excursion to see as much as possible in your short time.

St. Maarten has many great snorkeling spots and beaches all around the island. The best way to visit all of them is in an organized sailing or speedboat tour. Just sit back and let the captain take you from one great spot to an other while sipping on the complimentary open bar.

Despite its small size, St. Maarten has 3 ziplining parks. One at the cruise ship terminal, one in Saunders and one on the Franch side.